Fortis Flieger question

[Polly]

Hello,

I have a question about the Fortis Flieger.

This week i bought this great watch at the local AD,it was new,with the protective plastics still on it.But i suspect i bought the old model,the ref.nr on the watch says 595.10.46 L01.The Flieger in the new catalogue has ref.nr 595.10.41 L01.My watch uses tritium,as you can see along the "swiss made",and the "new" model uses superluminova,if i read correctly this "new" model also has saphire glass,mine has mineral.

What would you do?.....take it back and try to exchange for the "new" model?

i must say however that i'm thrilled about the accuracy,it still has to "break in" and allready runs about 5 secs a day fast.

Maybe if i exchange it i'll get a much worse accurate watch.

Kind regards and happy 2009!

Paul

[Mike 777]

Hi Paul,

Yes, if your watch has tritium markers, it is an older model. Also, the crown on the older model is missing the stamped Fortis crown logo that is found on the newer model, so it presents a cleaner appearance. The lugs on the newer model are a bit "beefier" than the ones on the older model. The problem with tritium is that it has a half-life of about 12 years, and it will get dimmer over time. I have a Flieger with tritium that is close to its half life, and it's about as bright as a superluminova watch after about 6 or 7 hours in darkness. However, the tritium markers have a slight greenish tint (in the day) which I prefer over the pure white of superluminova markers.

Also, the sapphire crystal is something you would probably prefer over the mineral crystal. As for the accuracy of a newer watch, you may well get a watch that is more accurate than the one you now have.

All that being said, you might want to keep the older model as a collectible, since tritium Fliegers have been discontinued. It marks you as an old salt in the Fortis community, you know. When the tritium becomes too dim, you can always get new superluminova hands and dial, and you can also get a sapphire crystal from the Fortis service center. HTH, but it may have made your decision more difficult, and for that, I'm sorry. At least you can't go wrong with either choice.

Regards,

Mike

[Polly]

Hello Mike,

Thanks for your 2 cents,

Especially your point of view regarding it's no longer in production,after all,we are talking about a flieger (pilot) watch used in 2e worldwar and so on,i guess they didn't have superluminova and sapphire glass back then

i think it makes it more "original"

however,you mentioned the lugs...i can't find any difference with the new model,also my watch does have the logo in the crown,also i can remember reading somewhere the old model is waterproof to 100m,mine says 200m..shoot me

Kind regards,

Paul

[Gopher]

also i can remember reading somewhere the old model is waterproof to 100m,mine says 200m.

I believe the Flieger with screw-down crown has been water resistant to 200m for a long time. An exception was with the older see-through caseback, which made it only 50m.

I would prefer a newer model for the sapphire crystal and Superluminova, if I planned to wear regularly. I bought a Flieger Chrono a year ago and made sure to get these upgrades (Flieger Chrono went through same changes recently). I would not be happy if I paid the higher price (due to sapphire) for older features, but you may have gotten a deal on that one, it being older stock. Your rate/accuracy sounds good, but you could always get the new one regulated, if necessary.

It just depends on what is important to you. It's a good watch in either form.

[Mike 777]

Hello Mike,

[snipped]

however,you mentioned the lugs...i can't find any difference with the new model,also my watch does have the logo in the crown,also i can remember reading somewhere the old model is waterproof to 100m,mine says 200m..shoot me

Kind regards,

Paul

Just from looking at pictures of the newer Flieger and comparing it to mine, I can see a slight difference in the lugs, which is especially apparent from the sides. The newer lugs have a more chunky look, while the older ones narrow to a "sharper point." Since your crown has a logo, maybe it's the newer model. The tritium dial has "T SWISS MADE T" near 6 o'clock; the luminova dial is missing the T's. And yes, I also recall that some of the old models had a WR rating of 100m, but mine is rated at 200m.

No shooting needed; besides, ammo is hard to find these days.

Regards,

Mike